Symptomatic Relief

Symptomatic treatments for PD fall into three main categories: pharmacological, surgical, and behavioral. Pharmacological approaches focus on reducing PD-related neuronal dysfunction by targeting specific neurotransmitter systems within the brain.

Current surgical approaches include the utilization of brain lesions or deep brain stimulation (electrical stimulation of deep brain structures) to alleviate the aberrant neural activity that occurs in PD. Experimental surgical approaches now in development include the use of cellular transplants or gene therapy to generate therapeutic molecules directly in affected areas of the brain.

Behavioral and physical therapy approaches, such as exercise and speech therapy, can also be effective at ameliorating PD symptoms. Pre-clinical research models suggest that exercise may also have disease-modifying effects (Smith and Zigmond, 2003). The cardinal motor symptoms of PD, bradykinesia, rigidity and tremor, are responsive to both pharmacological and surgical approaches; however, these treatments lose effectiveness as the disease progresses and can involve potentially disabling side effects.

Some psychiatric symptoms of PD, such as anxiety and depression, can be responsive to the standard psychiatric therapies, though these treatments have not generally been tested for efficacy in PD-specific symptomatology. Treatments for other motor (freezing, posture and gait problems) and non-motor (e.g., cognitive dysfunction) symptoms of PD are subjects of current pre-clinical and clinical study.